There are many ways to make a hotel room more comfortable. If you’re a guest staying at the hotel, you should bring crucial things that you’d never travel without like toiletries, entertainment options, and your favorite snack. If you have trouble sleeping, bring earplugs and a sleeping mask. Keep your hotel room clean by giving all the surfaces, doorknobs, and remote controls a wipe down. Finally, if you’re a hotel employee trying to make the hotel room more comfortable for guests, emphasize open space by removing clutter, put a mirror on the wall, and ensure the room has a window or two.

Trade in your pillow. Many hotels offer the option of swapping your pillow if yours is too hard, too soft, or too lumpy. Contact your hotel’s sleep concierge or housekeeping department in order to get a pillow that suits your sleeping style.[1]XResearch source

Have a pre-sleep nighttime routine. Turn off your computer and TV at least an hour before you go to sleep. Set your phone alarm and set it aside for the night. This will prevent you from looking at the screen, which can make it harder for you to go to bed. You could also read a book in bed to help you relax.[2]XResearch source

Block out sensory information. Use a sleep mask and earplugs to avoid being disrupted by goings-on either outside or in the next room over. Your earplugs should block sound 60 decibels and above. Your eye mask should completely block out light and sit comfortably on your face.[3]XResearch source

These are especially important if you’re sharing the room with someone who snores or has a different bedtime than you.

Instead of earplugs, you could invest in a white noise machine.[4]XResearch source A white noise machine is a small device that drowns out the sound of external noises by producing a steady and pleasing low-volume sound of its own.

Bring some entertainment. Your hotel room will feel distinctly unpleasant and uncomfortable if you can’t find anything on TV to watch, or cannot find entertainment in your local language. Bring a portable DVD player, laptop, or tablet so you can watch movies and music of your choice.[8]XResearch source

If you bring a portable DVD player, you should also bring some DVDs.

With a laptop, you could also play games or stream movies.

Consider bringing an HDMI cord so you can connect your laptop to the TV for a big-screen experience.

Take your creature comforts. Some people have one “must-have” object that they just can’t travel without. For some, it’s a special comb. For others, it’s their makeup. If you’re picky about your pillows, bring your own pillow or pillowcase from home. Whatever your special travel item is, don’t leave home without it. This will make your hotel experience more pleasant.[9]XResearch source

Bring some snacks.[10]XResearch source If you have a favorite snack, you will feel more comfortable in your hotel room if you have it on hand. For instance, if you often snack on unsalted whole-wheat crackers, you would be more comfortable in your hotel room if you have a travel pack of them with you during your hotel stay.[11]XResearch source

If you have a longer hotel stay, you might opt to pack a larger package of your snack of choice.

Unpack your things. After you’ve checked the room for bed bugs, unpack your things. This will help you settle in and feel more at home in your hotel room. Take advantage of the closet and the hangers. Don’t be afraid to ask for more from the front desk if you need them.[14]XResearch source

Set your favored travel items where they belong. For instance, if you packed a picture of your family, set it up by your bedside.

Bring your dog. If possible, take your dog along with you. Traveling can be a great adventure for your dog, and give the two of you some time to bond. You’ll feel more comfortable traveling with your dog. If you travel with your dog, be sure to place it in a crate when you’re not in the room to prevent it from marking its territory.[15]XResearch source

Check with the hotel before you arrive to ensure that you can bring your pet into the room with you.

If your dog is averse to traveling, do not bring it in order to make the hotel room feel more comfortable (or for any other reason).

Do a quick cleanup. Hopefully, housekeeping has been doing its job and cleaned the room thoroughly in advance of your arrival. But you might feel more comfortable and at home in your hotel room if you wipe down areas and objects most likely to be sticky or filth-ridden. For instance, use alcoholic wipes to rub down the TV remote, telephone, door handles, and the handle on the mini fridge.[16]XResearch source

You might also feel more comfortable if you run a wet hand towel or paper towel across dusty surfaces that housekeeping missed.

Be sure to check for bed bugs by lifting the sheets to check the mattress. If you see small brown or red specks dotting the mattress, ask for another room or just ask for a refund and find a better hotel.

Clean the air. If you’re in a smoking room or if your room has a weird scent, you might be glad you brought along a portable air fresher. For instance, the GermGuardian GG1000 or the Hayata Mini-Mate are both effective at reducing odors.[17]XResearch source

The GermGuardian plugs into an electrical socket and cleans the air as it removes the odors.

The Hayata is a rechargeable device and can be worn around the neck or placed on your nightstand.

Alternatively, you could bring a travel-size linen spray or scented candles.[18]XResearch source This will replace a hotel room’s disagreeable stink with a more refreshing odor.

Bring your slippers. Slippers are like shoes, but are usually worn without socks and are meant for indoor use only. If you bring a pair of slippers to the hotel, your stay will be more comfortable, especially if you’re staying at a hotel during the chilly winter season. Plus, slippers will keep your feet off the sometimes grimy hotel room floors.[19]XResearch source

Change the temperature of the room. If your room is too cold, you might want to increase the temperature. If the room is too warm, you might want to decrease the temperature. You can adjust the temperature in either direction by locating the thermostat. Set the thermostat at the temperature you desire to make the room to a more comfortable level.[20]XResearch source

You should reduce the temperature slightly when going to bed. It is easier to fall asleep in a slightly cooler room.

Opening the window a bit is also a good way of adjusting the temperature. If the weather outside is cool, you can cool your room somewhat by opening the window. If the weather outside is hot, you can warm the room somewhat by opening the window.

Open or close the curtains. If the curtains are drawn, your room might feel dim, cramped, and gloomy. But if the curtains are parted, you will be able to let light in and make the room feel more refreshing. If you do not like seeing what’s going on outside or being woken up by sunshine in the morning, keep your curtains drawn tightly.[21]XResearch source

If you have a particular distaste for sunshine, ask the front desk to provide you with a set of blackout curtains if any are available. These are extra-thick curtains specially designed for people who wish to see nothing of the world outside their window.

Move furniture to your liking. When you rent a hotel room, you can move the furniture in any way you like. If you believe that the flow of a hotel room works better when the nightstand is on the left side of the bed rather than the right, give it a try. If you don’t like where you’ve moved a piece of furniture, you can always move it back, or move it to a different spot altogether.[22]XResearch source

Experiment with the locations of various items of furniture to find an arrangement that makes you feel most comfortable.

Leave a welcome basket. Guests will feel more at home if they receive a small basket of treats and snacks when they arrive. The basket might include bottled water, travel-sized snacks like granola bars or bags of crackers, and travel-sized soaps. Guests might also appreciate over-the-counter medications, mini lint rollers, and other gadgets and goods to make them feel comfortable.[23]XResearch source

Give guests a cheat sheet. Provide your guests with a sheet that answers frequently-asked questions. For instance, you might draft a sheet that provides the wi-fi password, directions to the nearest tourist sights, and phone numbers for the hotel’s different departments (for instance, front desk, housekeeping, room service, and so on). This will save both you and the guest time.[24]XResearch source

Provide extra storage space. Try not to fill up the closets with vacuum cleaners, ironing boards, and other objects. The closet should be storage for the guest’s clothes and suitcase. Find other places (beneath the bed, for instance) for these stored items, and include plenty of hangers in the closet for the guest.[25]XResearch source

Leave a water pitcher and cups. Place a water pitcher filled with cool, refreshing water on a table or counter in the hotel room. Put some cups nearby. You could use disposable paper cups, but you’re better off leaving some sturdier glasses with the water. These feel more substantial and make the hotel room feel more comfortable for the guests.[26]XResearch source

Provide soft lighting. Soft lighting make a room feel cozier than harsh overhead lights. Put a few lamps around the room to empower your guests to customize the luminosity of light in the room. Ideally, you’ll include lamps that have a dimmer, which allows for even greater customizability in lighting. [27]XResearch source

Put flowers in the room. A room with a fresh bouquet of vibrant flowers will give any dull room a burst of color and a fresh scent. You could include tulips, roses, petunias, or mix of many different sorts of flowers when putting flowers in the room. Whatever sort of flowers you choose, place them in a tasteful vase of clear glass or white porcelain.[28]XResearch source

Make the bed. When guests walk into a room and the bed is in disarray, they will be reminded that they’re not at home and feel out of place. Guests will feel more comfortable if they come into a room where the bed is made nicely, with the sheet beneath the comforter and the pillows fluffed nicely at the head of the bed. You might also drape a heavy folded blanket over the foot of the bed.[29]XResearch source

Keep surfaces clean and clear. Before guests arrive, get the room dusted, swept, and vacuumed. Remove magazines, city guides, and other objects that only clutter nightstands and tabletops. Likewise, remove decorative objects like dolls and small abstract sculptures. The less space you clutter, the more space will be available to the guest to use as they please.[30]XResearch source

Emphasize open space. Cramped and claustrophobic hotel rooms are not comfortable. Your guest will be most comfortable if you fit the bed to the size of the room. Ensure that each room has at least one window. Keep the ceilings high enough that people don’t bump their heads on them.[31]XResearch source

For instance, do not put a large bed in a small room. Instead, put a large bed in a large room, and a small bed in a small room.

Guests should be able to walk comfortably around the bed on all sides without bumping into either the bed itself or other furniture.

If you have a hotel room where easy movement is impossible, consider swapping the bed out for a smaller one and making it a room for a single person only.

Ceilings should be about four meters (12 feet) high. Any shorter and guests will feel confined.

Add one window and one mirror to the room. These maximize the light in the room and make the space feel more open.